Report on the first 1 Goal Global Action Week 2010 Planning meeting

Venue: GNECC Secretariat                                  Date:  February 5, 2010

GNECC organized its first Global Action Week (GAW) 2010 meeting on February 5, 2010 at the GNECC secretariat. The meeting was attended by GNECC staff / volunteers as well as representatives from Action Aid, CAMFED and PAMOJA. UNESCO, GNAT, World Vision, IBIS, PLAN were absent.
The agenda for the meeting included Background to GAW, the GAW 2010 concept, theme, strategies, activities and funding. The meeting was facilitated by Kofi Asare, GNECC National Programs Officer.
Background on GAW

Asare gave a brief background to the history of GAW-as one of several events organized by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) to hold governments to account on commitments they made in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000 at the World Education Forum, where 185 governments committed to provide Education for All (EFA) by the year 2015. During this week, which generally falls at the end of April, millions of people around the world organize activities in their own country to remind their governments to fulfill the promise made in Dakar. GNECC is the lead agency championing this cause in Ghana and has successfully observed GAW since 2004.

GAW 2010 -Concept and theme

This year’s theme is Education for All: Fund it now. This year’s theme will focus on education financing, that is; calling on governments and nations to increase education financing to enable developing countries attain the Education for all Goal by 2015. Pls. refer to appendix 1 for more information on GAW 2010-concept and theme.

Strategies and activities

A list of policy demands and activities for GAW 2010 in Ghana was presented and participants were asked to deliberate and select the activities and policy demands that will be used to campaign during GAW 2010 in Ghana.

Policy demands:

Call on Government of Ghana to:
•    Abolish BECE examinations fees
•    Commit 10% of oil revenue into education
•     Ensure transparent and accountable education expenditure
•    Set up special fund to provide toilet facilities in basic schools
Call on leaders of developed countries to:
•    G7 countries should take steps to progressively commit 0.7% of their GNI by Overseas Development Assistance to LDC’s.
•    G7 countries should ensure that at least 10% of ODA goes into education.
•    Developed countries should commit more funds into the FTI
Activities  for GAW 2010
•    Develop press releases, attend breakfast shows on TV and radio
•    Discuss education financing on TV-Talking Point/Good Evening Ghana/ Agenda
•    Produce a documentary on education financing and effects on access and quality
•    Produce education financing fact sheet
•    Present resolution to Parliament/Government
•    Hold Press launch-April 19th 2010
•    Hold symposium on education financing for education stakeholders
•    Hold Education Financing roundtable with donor agencies and IFIs at country level (e.g. World Bank, USAID, IMF in-country representatives) to emphasise the important role of adequate financing in improving service delivery.
•    Produce Posters and Lacoste for campaign

Document for engaging policy makers:

•    Education financing country case study conducted by ActionAID in 2008. It will be updated by GNECC to reflect education and financing issues in 2009.
Role assignments:  

•    CAMFED will assemble a team and foot the cost of producing the documentary. Action aid will provide their report on education financing.

•    Action AID will support the airing of the documentary.

•    Action AID will fund the publishing of the education financing country case study
Funding
The following are donor pledge/receipts for GAW 2010:
Action AID- GHC 5,000
CSEF-GHC 4, 400
Big Lottery Fund-5,000
CAMFED-4,000

Total: GHC 18,400
Donor pledges are still expected from IBIS, PLAN, UNESCO.

Next Meeting date shall be communicated via e mail. All enquiries should be directed to Kofi Asare,
GNECC Secretariat
0244 713584,021 521650